PNNL

Bruce Pierson is a physicist supporting the National Security Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Since 2007, he has been gaining experience in radiation detection, detector simulation and modeling, and gamma spectrum analysis.

His skills include neutron dosimetry modeling and measurements for nuclear material damage and nuclear accident dosimetry, analyzing and simulating mixed fission product samples from seconds to months post-irradiation in support of fundamental nuclear physics, and work with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBTO) International Monitoring System.

He also served as an analyst for the U.S.-based CTBTO radiation laboratory-16, where his dissertation work involved building a multi-coincidence gamma detection system and linking it to a pneumatic sample transfer system for cyclic neutron activation of actinides to measure fission product yields from 14 mega electron-volt neutron-induced fission.

• Radiation Detection
• Radiation Transport and Modeling
• Radiolysis
• Nuclear Accident Dosimetry
• Nuclear Forensics
• Nuclear Decay Physics
• Nuclear Incident Response

• PhD in nuclear engineering, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
• MS in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
• BS in nuclear engineering, Idaho State University

• Member of the American Nuclear Society, 2007-present
• Member of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, 2007-present

• Outstanding Project Performance Award for Modeling Hydrogen Radiolysis from Fukushima Fuel Debris Canisters, PNNL, 2016
• Outstanding Performance Award Plutonium Metal Storage in SAVVY-4000 containers, Radiation Protection, PNNL, 2016
• Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship Awardee, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy (DOE), 2013
• Nuclear Energy University Program Fellowship Awardee, Nuclear Energy University Programs, DOE 2010

• Patent Award US20140226773A1, Nuclear Reactor Target Assemblies, Nuclear Reactor Configurations, and Methods for Producing Isotopes, Modifying Materials Within Target Material, and/or Characterizing Material Within a Target Material

2019

• B. D. Pierson et al., “Improved Cumulative Fission Yield Measurements with Fission Spectrum Neutrons on ²³⁸U,” Nucl. Data Sheets, vol. 155, pp. 86–97, Jan. 2019.
• B. D. Pierson et al., “Improved Cumulative Fission Yield Measurements with Fission Spectrum Neutrons on ²³⁵U,” Nucl. Data Sheets, vol. 155, pp. 86–97, Jan. 2019.

2018

• L. M. Arrigo, L. R. Greenwood, B. D. Pierson, L. A. Metz, and J. I. Friese, “Radiochemical separations and experimental measurements of short-lived fission products from 14 MeV irradiation of depleted uranium,” J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., vol. 318, no. 1, pp. 353–360, Oct. 2018.
• M. J. Jackson et al., “International inter-comparison exercise on ¹⁵³Sm,” J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., vol. 318, no. 1, pp. 107–115, Oct. 2018.
• L. Greenwood, B. Pierson, and C. Johnson, “Enhancement of STAYSL_PNNL with IRDFF/V1.05 to 60 MeV,” React. Dosim. 16th Int. Symp., Nov. 2018.

2017

• B. D. Pierson, L. R. Greenwood, M. Flaska, and S. A. Pozzi, “Fission Product Yields from ²³²Th, ²³⁸U, and ²³⁵U Using 14 MeV Neutrons,” Nucl. Data Sheets, vol. 139, pp. 171–189, Jan. 2017.

2015

• B. D. Pierson, H. C. Griffin, M. Flaska, J. A. Katalenich, B. B. Kitchen, and S. A. Pozzi, “Benchmarking the repeatability of a pneumatic cyclic neutron activation analysis facility using ¹⁶O(n,p)¹⁶N for nuclear forensics,” Appl. Radiat. Isot., vol. 96, pp. 20–26, Feb. 2015.
• M. Febbraro et al., “Deuterated scintillators and their application to neutron spectroscopy,” Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, vol. 784, pp. 184–188, Jun. 2015.
• E. C. Finn et al., “Cumulative fission yields of short-lived isotopes under natural-abundance-boron-carbide-moderated neutron spectrum,” J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., vol. 306, no. 1, pp. 79–91, 2015.

2014

• M. Febbraro et al., “A Novel Approach to Study of Neutron Producing Reactions for Nuclear Astrophysics,” in APS April Meeting Abstracts, 2014.

2013

• L. R. Greenwood et al., “Design and Testing of a Boron Carbide Capsule for Spectral Tailoring in Mixed-Spectrum Reactors,” vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 1–5, 2013.

2012

• B. D. Pierson et al., “Identifying and quantifying short-lived fission products from thermal fission of HEU using portable HPGe detectors,” J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., vol. 295, no. 3, pp. 1881–1885, 2012.

2011

• E. Finn et al., “Short-lived fission product measurements from ≥0.1 MeV neutron-induced fission using boron carbide,” J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., vol. 293, no. 1, pp. 267–272, Feb. 2012.
• J. J. Toth et al., “Production of Molybdenum-99 using Neutron Capture Methods,” Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US)., 2011.
• Erin C Finn et al., “Methods to Collect, Compile, and Analyze Observed Short-lived Fission Product Gamma Data,” Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, Formal Report PNNL-20141, 2011.

2009

• R. F. Payne et al., “Neutron fluence and energy reproducibility of a 2-dollar TRIGA reactor pulse,” J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., vol. 282, no. 1, pp. 59–62, 2009.
• L. A. Metz, R. F. Payne, J. I. Friese, L. R. Greenwood, J. D. Kephart, and B. D. Pierson, “Experimental measurements of short-lived fission products from uranium, neptunium, plutonium and americium,” J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., vol. 282, no. 2, pp. 373–377, 2009.